Songs for Preschoolers With Repetition

For preschool-aged children, music is more than just a device that conveys feelings and emotions; it also a powerful tool that can be used to teach important lessons, ideas and objectives. According to the book, "The More We Get Together: Nurturing Relationships Through Music, Play, Books and Art," by Gari Stein, shared on the Songs for Teaching website, music helps to promote listening, language and motor skill development. It also fosters an understanding of phonemic awareness -- an early literacy skill. In addition to the academic benefits, music also helps children express themselves and helps to calm them down. Repetitive songs, in particular, help to foster these skills. As the message of the song is repeated continuously, children are more likely to process and retain the information.

  1. Days of the Week

    • Teach preschool-aged children the days of the week with a catchy, repetitive song. This song is set to the tune of the theme song from "The Addams Family."

      Days of the week (snap, snap)
      Days of the week (snap, snap)
      Days of the week
      Days of the week
      Days of the week

      There's Sunday and there's Monday
      There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday
      There's Thursday and there's Friday
      And then there's Saturday

      Days of the week (snap, snap)
      Days of the week (snap, snap)
      Days of the week
      Days of the week
      Days of the week

      Not only will children enjoy the silly tune of the song, but because it is repetitive, the song will help them retain the names of the days of the week.

    Five Little Monkeys

    • This song is ideal for teaching preschool children number recognition. It also introduces them to the idea of subtraction.

      The song begins with the verse:

      Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
      One fell off and bumped his head.
      Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said.
      "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

      The song continues, using the same words in each verse; however, the number decreases by one with each verse, until there are no more monkeys left jumping on the bed.

      As you sing the song, hold up five fingers and then put one down with each verse. Alternatively, you could display pictures of five monkeys and remove one with each verse until there are no more remaining.

    Bitsy Spider

    • You are likely familiar with the classic children's song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." This repetitive song is fun for children to sing, but using different variations of the song can help to teach children about size. Begin by singing the original version of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," using your hands to act out the verses of the song, as would traditionally be done. However, after singing the original version, sing one featuring the big fat spider and another about the itsy bitsy teeny weeny spider, using your hands to illustrate the differences in size among each of the spiders.

    Old MacDonald

    • Another children's song that you are likely familiar with is "Old MacDonald." Each verse of the song is essentially the same; however, the name of the animal and the sounds the animal makes are altered with each verse. For example, one verse may be about a cow who gives a "moo, moo here and a moo, moo there," and another verse may be about a pig who gives an "oink, oink here and an oink, oink there." This song promotes an awareness of different animals that live on a farm, as well as the sounds that these animals make. Not to mention, this song is also fun for preschoolers to sing.

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